As Supergirl ushered in DC’s mega crossover extravaganza it also delivered its midseason finale, which was ripe with emotion and the vey important reminder that life is too short not to take chances.
Even at its worst this season, Supergirl is still better than most of the other DC products currently on television. Basically, Supergirl has yet to disappoint this season. That’s in large part due to the focus on the relationships and characters in the show. Supergirl is all about heart, and this season has reinforced that more than ever.
But with that said, “Medusa” was certainly one of the weakest episodes of Supergirl‘s sophomore season. Perhaps it was because it was the midseason finale, which should be bigger and better than the episodes before it. Perhaps it was because Supergirl has been soaring at above average all season long that a normal solid episode feels weak. Perhaps I was bound to be even slightly unimpressed with the overall execution of the episode.
But make no mistake, Supergirl continues to reign supreme in terms of DC television series. It continues to effortlessly blend the elements of superhero lore and the heart of every great story. Supergirl continues to remain the standard that all other DC shows should be looking to. And if Supergirl continues this momentum in the rest of the season then its sophomore season will be one for the ages.
Project Medusa
Given the fact that it was a midseason finale, Supergirl had to usher in a threat that posed an even greater danger than previouly seen. While I’ll admit it felt awfully like a letdown like last season’s midseason finale, I can’t even hate on it because of the beautiful character exploration it provided for these characters, especially Lena Luthor.
With Cadmus’ endgame being to rid the world of aliens, they struck out at alien races that weren’t Kryptonian using a virus called Medusa (which was created by Kara’s birth father). There was a very real threat in the beginning as we watched it wipe out an entire bar of aliens in one fell swoop. It also threatened Mon-El’s life, but due to his similarities to Kryptonians it didn’t kill him immediately, which allowed time for Alex’s mother to find a cure.
One of the things with Supergirl‘s finales is that they always end on a happy note. They don’t end with Felicity bleeding out in the middle of the street or ruin “Little Drummer Boy” for you like Arrow does. There was a levity to this midseason finale, which goes to show that you don’t always have to drop a major cliffhanger. While it doesn’t work for some shows, it does work for Supergirl. And it’s refreshing to not be absolutely terrified heading into winter hiatus.
Lena Luthor Chooses Her Side
Lena Luthor is single handedly the best new addition to television this season. Katie McGrath and Lena’s arc this season is something so damn amazing that just when I think they’ve wowed me to extremes they top themselves in the next scene. I really appreciate how Supergirl didn’t take the obvious route with Lena. They could’ve made her evil; taken her on a parallel journey as her brother. But Supergirl is really showing us who Lena Luthor is as an individual — how she’s someone who doesn’t want to follow in the evil footsteps as her mother and brother. She wants to be her own person. She wants to do good.
I’ll admit I had a slight doubt that Lena was turning to the dark side when it appeared as though she’d given her mother the ingredient to replicate Medusa. But damn it if she’s not a phenomenal actor. And she got her mother arrested to boot! If this doesn’t prove that Lena wants to be good than I don’t know what does. Her arc continues to amaze and intrigue me. For all we know they’re setting her up for a fall (much like Lex Luthor in Smallville). But for now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy this badass lady be a badass.
Alex Comes Out to Her Mother
Ever since Supergirl really allowed themselves to explore Alex as an individual outside of hr being Supergirl’s sister, it has delivered some of its best television. Her self discovery this season has been a truly beautiful thing to behold. While the circumstance might be different than what we’ve experienced in our own lives, we can all relate to doubting ourselves and wanting to discover who we are. That’s what has made Supergirl such a rewarding show because it appeals to the audience’s own experiences and emotions.
Alex’s coming out party concluded with her coming clean to her mother, which was something that she was obviously concerned about. Alex in no way wanted to disappoint her mother because she didn’t lead a normal life. And her mother’s reaction was the most heartwarming thing in this episode. She not only accepted Alex as being gay but she embraced and encouraged her to be herself. This is definitely one of those relationships that we don’t get to see enough on television, but when we do it’s something really special to witness.
Alex and Maggie Are Officially A Go!
God bless Supergirl and its hopeful finales because Sanvers is officially happening! If there’s one thing that’s been handled near flawlessly this season on Supergirl it’s been the relationship between Alex and Maggie. While it’s definitely in the plot, it’s something that’s so genuine that it doesn’t even feel like it’s fictional. It’s so grounded in honesty and heart that it’s a joy week after week to watch this relationship evolve. Obviously it’s been a rough go (we all know slowburns), but that all changed in the midseason finale.
Almost dying will change your perspective on life. While Maggie was cautious to enter a relationship with Alex, nearly dying forced her to realize that life’s too short to sit around and wait for “when the time is right.” Who’s to say there’s ever a right time that’s written in the stars? Our destinies are forged in the choices we make. We make our “time is right.” And that’s exactly what Maggie did. She confessed to Alex how nearly dying made her realize that life is too short, and that she doesn’t want to wait for the time to be right for them to happen. She sealed her beautiful confession with a sizzling kiss that sent our hearts in a tizzy.
While we’re sure things will be far from simple moving forward for Sanvers (no relationship is perfect — if it were it’d be boring), we’re excited to see what the writers have in store for the couple that has stolen our hearts with their genuineness.
Kara and Mon-El Romance
Something that I’ve learned this past week is that some people don’t exactly share my affinity for the blossoming romance between Kara and Mon-El. Whether it’s because they’re shipping Kara romantically with Lena or whatnot. But I’m absolutely loving Mon-El as a romantic interest for Kara. Is it a little rushed? Sure. But Kara and Mon-El is already significantly better than Kara and James because their chemistry is fire.
I really love where each are coming as individuals. They’re born enemies, but being on Earth has allowed them to be more accepting of those that are different than them. And when Kara decided to mentor Mon-El, it ignited the start of their friendship and what’s slowly blossoming into romance. Mon-El has made it no secret that he has feelings for Kara. While he hasn’t told her flat out, he doesn’t attempt to hide or deny it on his face or in his actions. He’s an actual puppy. Which is perfect because Kara is a puppy, as well.
Feelings are a tricky thing. Sometimes it takes a traumatic event or almost losing someone to realize just how much you care about them or realize how you feel about them. That’s exactly what happened to Kara. She initially shook off any suggestion that Mon-El “like-liked” her. But almost losing him and having to sit with these feelings that she didn’t know she had caused her to reevaluate. It’s definitely the reason why she didn’t pull away when he kissed her.
I’ll be the first to admit that I was shocked to see Kara and Mon-El lock lips so soon. But that kiss was HOT. Say what you want about Kara and Mon-El, but there’s no denying their chemistry. But perhaps the greatest thing came at the end when Kara wanted to talk about the kiss and Mon-El said he didn’t know what she wanted to talk about. So Kara shook it off even though she clearly couldn’t stop thinking about it. And we soon saw that Mon-El had lied; that he vividly remembers the kiss. THE ANGST.
I have a feeling that Supergirl is going to slow their romance down just a bit now. Perhaps it was because it was the midseason finale and Supergirl wanted to set up Kara’s romance for the remainder of the season. But I actually like that they teased us with a kiss and are now probably going to tease us with these two all season until the finale. ALL THE ANGST.
What’s the Threat Now?
Sure, Supergirl left off with setting up this DC mega crossover event (which officially kicks off with the Flash). But as a fan of Supergirl, I’m wondering what’s going to leave my mind racing throughout this grueling winter hiatus? Obviously the big threat of this season has been Cadmus, and even though its leader has been captured that doesn’t mean Cadmus is done wreaking havoc. Don’t forget, we’ve got a significant amount of episodes left this season. But perhaps one of the developments that we can expect looks to be the Daxomites (at least that’s what I think they are), who look to be very much not dead and they’re looking for Mon-El. While Mon-El was very open to accepting Kara — despite her Kryptonian origin — something tells me his race will be less forthcoming. But do they pose any real threat? Or is it a distraction for the real threat?
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.